The Butte Miner from Butte, Montana • 13

rmu MIST aw 2jf QUI" ai6 IT nnn 7 tl HI These Two Pretty Girls Would Suddenly Wake Up to a Fabulous Wealth More Enormous Than was Ever Bestowed by any Good Fairy in the Fairy Books. frV IL 'ARRYINQ OFF A GREAT SLICE OF LAND ON WHICH NEW YORK CITY IS BUILT." right to recover even a small part of grandfather's property, it would necessitate important changes in the present official maps of New York City. The possibility of such contingency caused th Comptroller to say recently "I have caused a very thorough Investigation to be made of the claims of the ii At ters similar to the one printed above that "I knew." she said, "by the man's very first caused them to brieve It would be manner that some very Important facts possible to prove at least part of their nere being withheld. claim. Before- they reached this eonclu.

After successive appeals, each time to a sion Miss Isabelle Evesson 'jerself had higher authority, she finally learned from accepted $25 to sign a quit claim deed, as the same old man, who had previously de-a "mere matter of form," to a corner lot nled the erlstance of any records, that on the old Quarry Road In the Bronx. some of the records were In his office. The sisters now hold a clear title to this and the others might be found In Whit plot, for which they were offered Plains. This Is only one of many instances. In As soon as this first stepping stone was less than two years they have cleared their reached, Miss lOvesson, now joined by her title, they say, to forty lots In all.

each sister, made haste In getting to work on approaching In value the one referred to. tnP task of recovering the lost millions. Tils dream and this hint of Its possible Morning, noon and night, without inter-realization has changed the whole course rnPtlon for pleasure, amusement or vaea-of the lives of Isabelle Evesson and her Hon, these two women hare pored over sister. Estelle "Clayton, who had won for musty records In unused vaults of few themselves a solid reputation In connec- Yor, L'ity and of neighboring towns, tion with the stage, the latter being a sue- Although much remains still to be found, cessful dramatist, as well as a capable the efforts of the two women have not actress. In vain.

They have been successful So capable have they proved themselves finding several valuable maps which to he In this task of reversing the picture are known as the "Bassford maps," Nog. presented by Charles Dickens in the case 63- 3-0. 377, 442. 446. 458 and 840.

By of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce In "Bleak means of these maps the original property House," that all the Bassford heirs have ot Abraham Bassford in the Bronx has placed their claims In their hands. bpen 'orated. A visit to one of the city departments Another important find was Hyde's atlas was the first step taken by Miss Evesson. certified old maps of White Plains, Here she had hoped to find certain maps whlcb also reveal much that will benefit and records which would supply the base the cause for which the two women are for her future investigations.

She was re- "inking so many sacrifices, ferred, however, to the head of a depart- the task of compiling fact for a ment who had for many years held ths massive historical book could equal the same position. undertaking which these Evesson sisters This veteran Immediately Informed her naTe entered upon, thai the records, and especially certain As soon as word about the search spread maps, had been lost or destroyed for many abroad there was a voluntary rush of leading lawyers of New York who offered their aid in carrying the work to completion. LL the dreams of heir and heiresses I to disputed landed estates Including the dream of the Anneke Jans heirs. t. for a hundred and fifty years, have Ight unsuccessfully for a large slice of rer Manhattan Island are discounted by t- dream of Isabelle Evesson and her ter, Estelle Clavton, grandchildren of old irahnm Bassford.

It Is a t'ream In which they see ttaem-iVes seizing and carrying off as their 'n a great slice of the land on which York City Is built, Dreams of this kind very seldom come ne. The Anneke Jans descendants seem ist as far as ever from realizing the or more which they claim. Yet great sum Is perhaps not 10 per cent, the vast wealtj represented by the cres and acres of Greater New York soil a clear title to which these two women re flgtitlng. gome of these acres are lii he heart of the metropolis. Others are prluded In a great stretch of city and extending from the Hnrlem tlivor i "th to Wtilte Plains, and from heyond Harlem railroad tracks eastward (arly to Long Island Sound.

What all this land, acres of It covered J' irh expensive bnildings, Is now worth iin hardlf be estimated within millions of the exact truth. If ihpse two granddaughters of Abraham Bassford eonld clear their title to It all, John D. Rockefeller would be a financial PTgmy compared with them, and the Astors would dwindle Into comparative In fs! mi flea nee. The best and most astonishing part i'dat this b'egest of a.i dreams of wealtii as a chance of coming true. After two years of determined, unremitting toll, the searching of musty records, and the resnrreetlon of old maps from obscure cellars and garrets where they were hidden during the corrupt Tweed regime, they have forced a restitution of a paltry fraction of whole estate, yet which is worth to-day at least To Indicate how hopeless appeared their task two years ago.

here Is a copy of letter from a real estate man to one of their fellow heiresses: Mrs. Isabelle Mensing: Dear Madam Your favor of the 30th. giving me your sister's nddre.s duly received thanks. I saw Mrs. nines yesterday and received from her a release to the part of the Quary Road 1 am now interested In.

She risked me to write to you about the matter. Any interest the heirs of Abraham Bassford have In the fee of the old road Is purely technical and cannot be reduced to dollars and cents for many leagal reasons. The taxes and assessments have not been paid for sixteen or eighteen years. My opinion Is that Mr. Bassford never had any rights or Interest In this lane, because I cannot be sure his land reached down to It You have learned by this time that the proceedings Instituted by Mr.

Terry, an attorney of this. city, realized nothing for any of the family except your Aunt Florence. Your grandfather's estate was settled more than thirty-five years ago and your mother and all the other heirs got their share and now there is absolutely nothing left for anyone, except perhaps two or three strips. If your Aunt Florence told you there was anything In the Quarry Road In the way of dollars and cents for Rny of your family she was most woefully mistaken. The Morris estate, who, 1 think, really owned the road, without any Ifs and ands, sold It to me for 1100.

I mean the portion between Third and Bathgate avenues. This estate was represented by one of the best law firms In this city. I send you herewith a release as I would like you to sign. If yon will go before some notary and acknowledge the same and have the notary get a county clerk's certificate at- It, tflW 4 heirs of the Bassford estate, and the maps and records of the city as they exist to-day show they have little on which, to base their claims. But It cannot be denied that there "may be other records antedating those we hare, and, of course, they have the right to prove title if they can.

We must rely on the record now have. We cannot go back on those. "It is a very common thing for persons to come to this office with old maps and deeds on which they have claims for valuable property all over the city, bnt aa rule these alleged claims are so ancient that I pay no attention to them. This Bassford claim Is more recent than moat of tbem, and what success they may nay of course I cannot telL "As to the confiscation that ta Charged In the' Bassford matter years ago, ot conrse I know nothing about It. It isn't the duty of the present administration to answer for the sins of those that have gone before us." It has already been established that the original Abraham Bassford holding bar changed hands many times, and In ao doing the names of prominent men who bay been in New York politic have been re.

-corded. The record also show that not only dty official bnt that even a number of corporations have been very ainaa Interested in the transfers of this property from one purchaser to another. The city Is also on record as still holding in Its name a considerable amount ot Bassford property, and only as recently as last December the heirs bid In a number of pa-eels from the city. It ha been stated that some of thee parcel, on which only was paid at the tax sale, or worth from $10,000 to 20,000. So, with the wall of their handsome apartment covered with old nvap.

and with new ones which they bay had made by surveyors based on old records, and their writing tables littered with all sorts ot legal documents and memoranda, these two Evesson sisters, year in and year out, are making their fight for untold millions. It means pouring ont money every day. Whenever they hear of an old map antedating the Tweed regime, that means a fat fee to the person who ha had th foresight to preserve it all these year. But since two year ot labor has brought ESTELLE CLAYTON. A company, the Bassford Estate Corporation, was formed, with the result that- Its books now contain the names of men who figure In the world of finance and commerce, who have Implicit faith In the contest which they are aiding The Bassford Estate Corporation has engaged a corps of experts whose duty It Is to peruse the records for the purpose ot getting the necessary proof to he used In the final contest.

Vi i I Where Electricity Takes the Servant's Place. It-tit. i 1 a wn. ISABELLE EVESSON. Vw1' wkV'lv the American housewife the Idea of having electricity do the work which Is now being performed by servants would certainly be Ideal.

What a relief It would be to be able to dispense with the expensive, time consuming and never solvable help question-One need not think that this is a dream which may be realized sometime during the Indefinite future, because there Is actually a house in Troyes. France, In which Is being proved daily that one need not depend on Incompetent and unwilling servants. The exact address of this villa Is, No. 4 Rue Pierre Gautler, Troyes. France, and the owner of this enchanted house is Mr.

Georgia Knap. It Is commonly called the house of mystery and silence, bnt its official title is. "La Villa Ferla Electra." In making a visit to this house, within which one finds every comfort without the Id of a servant, our first surprise Is encountered when we ring the doorbell. The visitor to the villa finds that, be rings, the door opens by itself, "while a voice proceeding from a hidden gramophone asks the person who Is entering, In a pleasant voice, to kindly allow the door to close. As we step inside we are confronted by a mat that rubs and dries our shoes.

Among the other surprises which are in store for the visitor are the comforts of the bedroom. When going to bed on a cold Winter's night. If a hot water bottle Is desired, all that has to be done la to press a iun, which Is conveniently stationed near the bed. snd a hot water bottle Is heated. Before retiring In the evening you set an electric clock, which Is equivalent to giving Instructions for the you desire to wake.

Promptly at sevrn, eight or whatever hour your instructions happen to be. yon are awakened by a gramophone, which calls to you. at the ssme time rhe curtains In your room fly apart and the shutters open, letting the early morning sunlight brighten the room. The dining room Is no less mysterious than the other parts of the house. By the pushing of certain buttons orakfast.

the morning papers and your mall arrive at the table. An electric cooking apparatus prepares the food and by means of an electric dumbwaiter the food Is brought up through the centre of the dining table. Other duties are automatically performed with an efficiency equal to that of any servant Thus In the laundry electric machines do the washing, and by means of another apparatus the clothes are ironed. Everything in the house, indeed, is run by electricity, and there are even electric alarms for use against those who wonld break In and steal. Electric contrivances of every description and many unknown in this countiy are In constant In this house of mystery and silence It may be said that electricity almost possesses a human power, for all the work usuallv done by servants and much that Is nsnafly left undone is perfectly performed by the wonderful power of electricity through the efforts of science.

taehed to It, and then send it to your sister I will see that you receive by return mail J25 by postal money order and the notary's charges which will perhaps be a dollar. I am sure that there are but two or three more little matters which do not amount to anything, that relate to property which once belonged to your grandfather which you may or may not hear from, and that will be the last of the whole matter to the end of time. 1 paid your sister $25 for her signs, ture. Yours. I.

N. HEBBERD. Mets has shown consider- brought suit against this real estate dealer, years past and that all efforts to unrave: Comptroller charging him with having sold some of the Bassford tangle would prove futile, able concern In this matter, which he The Evesson sisters or, rataer, the $100,. their OroDertV at a fraudulent sheriff's This rpfusnl tn nrnrtiina tha mmnI, Inanti.w4 Arm success, represented by perhaps a round million, they bay every Incentive to (o and mayb before long the whole glittering dream will bav com true, and a new namtj in "Ulsa fmsoce" will pbm. prosecute their further search- have sine.

It was the receipt by themselves rf tot, definite conclusion. in establishing proof of their.